Daily Inspirational Podcast

Being human isn’t easy. We’ve been blessed to have an amazing brain unparalleled by any other creature on the planet. It is my firm belief that the brain can be not only our greatest attribute but also our worst nightmare. When 2 people are communicating, their brains are in coherence with each other.  This is when something magical happens. This is called communication. When we learn to communicate our ideas with others, we build strong and powerful perspectives which help us through the most difficult times. It’s been said that anything is achievable, when you put your mind to it.  Communication is a learned response and unfortunately if you were absent during that class, there may be some painful interactions in your future.

Today Suraj and I discuss what’s happened to our communication strategies during this lockdown/pandemic.  More specifically, how social media has hijacked our brain allowing a flood of information to screw up our perspective and ultimately damage our communication skills.  The mere term social distancing should tell you something. The last thing we need to do is to be further away from each other. Sure maybe 6 feet but it’s gone much further than that.

Once our society began to communicate through text and social media, we lost all important one-on-one human communication which leads to a plethora of negative emotions.  Suraj and I both agree that the struggle for healthy communication has magnified significantly. Zoom meetings, Facebook, Twitter, Tinder, email and text to name a few have replaced the in person one-on-one interaction. This is troubling and it’s evident that the continued deterioration of healthy communication strategies is leading to a new pandemic of its own called anxiety and depression. There are ways to take back your control. Check out this conversation with Suraj (26) and myself (55) and get a perspective from men living in what seems to be worlds apart.

Have you ever noticed how cruel life can be?  Like when everything seems to be going really well and you feel on top of the world and then within the blink of an eye everything changes? If it hasn’t for you, it’s because you’re either lying or you’re dead. This podcast chronicles one incredibly difficult day for a young female athlete named Abby. Abby’s life was going to plan and everything seemed right until she suffered a complete rupture of her Achilles tendon in a soccer game. In that moment, life took a painful step backwards. The physical and emotional toll that the injury and rehabilitation inflicted upon her was unprecedented. Although she struggled, she relied on faith and family to provide perspective. In Abby’s words, life’s challenges happen for us not to us. She shares many intimate feelings about her own existence during a time when she felt helpless.  What initially appeared to be a catastrophic event, eventually became another one of life’s incredible vignettes. Perhaps her story will inspire you. It has certainly had an inspirational effect upon me.

It started as an idea and progressed to the adventure of a lifetime.  Five years ago, my friend Jonesy had a brilliant idea to sail from Boston to Miami by himself.  The only problem was he had never sailed before. Although he felt very comfortable on the ocean as the owner and operator of a small 28’ Carver cabin cruiser, he had limited to no experience on a sailboat.  After tracking down a decent sailing vessel (a Person 39 footer for you sailing enthusiasts) and months of preparation, he decided to go for it.  Join us and listen to the personal recount of his experiences during the journey and how this trip impacted his perspective on life.  Lightning storms from hell, rapidly shifting tides that grounded the craft, torn sails, damaged hulls, and that’s in just the first couple of days!!

Jonesy found the courage to take life head on.  Sitting on the sideline of life is not an option for him.  What about you?  Can you muster the strength to overcome your fear and live a life worth living?  As Jim McKay from ABC’s Wide World of Sports used to say…“Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports…the thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat”.  If you don’t try, you will never know your worth, while growth and prosperity avoid you.  The time to live is NOW!

Too often people in my age bracket (50’s) berate the current generation on their sense of entitlement and radical stance on things that tear down rather than build up.  To be honest, this does exist, but to what extent and why?  The answer lies in the people who molded them.  Was it the pussification of America perpetuated by parents, so-called mental health experts, school curriculum, Washington law makers or social media?  The answer is all of it.  So, for just a moment I want to cut them some slack.

Say hello to Suraj Patel.  A few months ago this 26-year-old man reached out not me on social media after hearing my podcast and took a chance.  He asked to be a guest and I thought “That’s cool. A young person with initiative”.  It piqued my curiosity and I immediately said YES!  Suraj represents the next generation of Americans who love this country and will let his hard work and experience do his talking.  Fortunately for us we get to hear his words of hope, perseverance, failure, triumph, love, and family.  It is so refreshing to know the future of our country is, in part, in the hands of a man worthy of the American Dream.  Check out what he has to say.

Americans have been hijacked by hate and violence.  This should not be surprising as this is part of the human condition.  The sad part is, what was so wrong with the way America has evolved over the years?  Racism and slavery were a stain on our country and most Americans agree.  Those were the sins of our past and America has worked diligently to TRY and re-right the ship.  From the bloody civil war of the Lincoln era, to Dr. Kings’ civil rights movement of the 1960’s.  We are not a perfect nation because we are a nation of imperfect people.  Justice and equality are always taking a hit and it takes good people, like us, to rise above the hatred and sew the seeds of love and justice for all.  Cancel culture is never seeking the truth or justice.  They seek exactly the opposite, control and oppression.  This is not the majority of people in America yet a small few are hijacking this beautiful nation and turning it into their golden calf while the rest of us implode emotionally and financially.  This war is not between black and white people.  It is certainly not because the police are murdering black people in a modern-day genocide.  It’s a battle between the self-proclaimed righteous (Gov’t and big Tech), their thirst for power and money and those who stand in their way. Who could possibly stand in their way? American citizens, so they look to crush us with unconstitutional regulations and divide us with decrees of RACISM and fuel our HATRED of each other while they take it all.

It’s time to take back control.  It’s a mighty big country but each one of us can do our part to say ENOUGH. It starts with forgiveness and a desire to love one another.  What would they do if we just started getting along and were united?  Every time we start to feel good about ourselves again, they decree another government EFF You.  …Close your business and there’ll be no money for you to feed your kids while we take the month off to decompress in the Hamptons.  Seriously?  Rodney King said it best. “Can’t we all just get along”?  We could if they would stop regulating every facet of our lives.  My advice?  Learn and be aware of what is going on in government and vote your conscious.  This is not the time to put your head in the sand.  The future of our country depends on it.  Any chance to love your neighbor or your country, do it. Forgiveness will quell the violence and preserve a place for our kids to make American even better. God Bless America!

It was time to reconnect. Too often our lives become so busy that we forget to connect with people.  Although this epidemic has been miserable for most, there’s always a silver lining. My friend Aamir Chaudry; VP of Business Development at Here Engineering, went out of his way to check in on me. I asked him to join me on the podcast and we had a nice conversation reconnecting. Aamir talked about the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) versus Unemployment Benefits and its effect on his businesses.  We also revealed the important things that we have learned during this pandemic, which we can take with us to reinvent ourselves yet again.

We’ve been dealing with this Covid-19 Virus for the past 3 months.  Now what?  At first, we were all a little scared as we learned of a new virus that was highly contagious and that people were going to die.  From the very beginning, the projected number of deaths seemed overwhelming.  Fortunately, most projections were wrong.  With preventative measures and time, we have perhaps a better glimpse into the nature of all things Covid.  If you’re not careful you might find yourself a pawn of the powers that be.  As time goes on, the political rhetoric and jockeying for position has further increased the fear leading to increased suicide and other mental diseases.  Don’t let fear used by the elite for political and monetary gain deter your resolve.  Most law makers know a whole lot about nothing but they’ll give you the impression that they have a PhD from Harvard in Virology.  Sharpen your perspective, reduce your fear, regain your health, and know that the day you were born was the most difficult day of your life.  You can overcome anything.  Stay strong.

The Ultimate Killer: Covid-19 or the Fear promoted by the media?  This seems like such a simple answer.  It must be the virus because we see the pictures and are constantly reminded of the mortality rate.  It’s true that before this epidemic is over there will be hundreds of thousands of fatalities.  But these are not unprecedented times.  Humanity has been through this before and will go through this again.  It’s how Nature works.  We think we’re in control but every once in a while, we’re reminded of the contrary. If you survive the virus as most will, will your health take a hit from the FEAR of contracting the disease?  The answer is undeniably YES. This is not a conspiracy theory but rather science.  This podcast will explore the effects of FEAR on your physical health.  The results may be shocking but the cure is simple.

If there’s ever been a man that captures the true spirit of Boston, it’s my friend John Caron. John is the owner of 2 restaurants in downtown Boston; West End Johnnies and Fenway Johnnies. Like many, this pandemic is a crushing blow to his businesses. In an attempt to improve perspective, John shares awesome stories of his years working for the Boston Red Sox and all the incredible relationships he’s forged during his journey. This interview is a breath of fresh air.

During these difficult times of the pandemic, we’ve all got some sort of cross to bear.  It can certainly be overwhelming. Recently, I spent a couple of hours chatting with good friend John Caron. John owns both West End Johnnies and Fenway Johnnies. We discussed the pandemics’ impact on his businesses and then we reminisced about “the good old days”. It was nice for just an hour or so to remember what makes us who we are and celebrate life no matter how difficult it can be. Life is Good!